LA Opera's new resident conductor, Lina González-Granados, is leading the organization’s production of El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, which translates to “the last dream of Frida and Diego,” referring to Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. In the show, Rivera wants to reunite with his late wife on Día de Muertos to ask for her forgiveness. It’s a major showcase of Latino talent, from the cast to composer to librettist.
González-Granados says the show is a fantasy set in three worlds: of the living, the dead, and art; and it’s about love, forgiveness, redemption, and closure.
She compares it to the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice: “The only thing that she cannot do is actually hug him, otherwise when she comes to the world of the dead, she will feel pain.”
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She notes that while Kahlo and Rivera became international stars, they never forgot their roots and identities, which personally resonates with her. “I try not to lose track of who I am. And I always try to show myself in that same optic. That's what I gain by learning from them.”
The road to LA Opera
González-Granados says she was between 16-19 years old when she decided to become a conductor.
“I was raised as a pianist. But also I'm an only child. And I always found that the piano in itself was a very lonely place for me, and I needed more company. … I just want[ed] to be a conductor because I want[ed] to be close to more people making music.”
Music was also an escape for González-Granados, who grew up in the Colombian town of Cali during a turbulent time. “There were a lot of guerilla kidnaps, all of these things that made us feel very scared and unsafe to my parents and to me. So the piano was one way for them to elevate my mind and to be inside the house.”
González-Granados eventually moved from Cali to Bogotá to do her undergraduate studies. It was difficult to find work opportunities, so she relocated to New York and then Boston, where she met conductor Marin Alsop — the first woman to lead a major American orchestra — through a fellowship.
“She became my mentor. … That's the beginning of a very beautiful relationship or friendship. I know that I can call her whenever I need because she's always there for us, and she tried to open the doors that she could, and here I am.”
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González-Granados says one of the biggest lessons she’s learned from Alsop is to always be prepared for new opportunities: “Sometimes the world is not ready. But we have to be ready because when those little windows of opportunity come to us, they happen very fast, and if you're not prepared, forget it. It doesn't happen, even if it was your time.”
In the past, González-Granados applied for all sorts of work, auditions, and competitions. Now she’s reached a point in her career where she can be picky about where she puts her time and energy.
